Automatic weather strip



March 10, was. w. L. HAWK 2,033,241

AUTOMATI C WEATHER STRI P Filed July 7, 1935 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED ES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in weatherstrips and has for its main object to provide an automatically operating Weatherstrip.

One of the objects of this present invention is to provide a simple, efficient and inexpensive weather strip, so designed and constructed as to be automatically raised off of engagement with the threshold of a door or window sill of a window when the door or window is moved to open position, and which will be automatically pressed down in engagement with the same when the door or window is closed.

It is well known that the interstices between the lower parts of existing doors and the adjacent fioor surfaces, or between windows of the Venetian type or the like and the window frames admit rain, cold, heat and dust into the interior of the room when they are closed causing embarrassment to room occupants and the like. Weatherstrips as now employed in conjunction with doors, windows, etc. are fixed in position in such a way that they are permanently located in the positions in which they are originally put with the result that they are in the way, are of short duration, wear rapidly and in many instances present obstructions towards ingress and egress.

A further object of this invention is to provide a Weatherstrip so shaped, located and designed as to be quickly attached to the bottom of a door so as to be ready for use, and which has all of its parts fool-proof and designed to move into proper position when the door closes to exclude the foreign elements from entering a room or building, and which will be out of the way and not seen in the doorway when the door has been opened. A further object of this invention is to provide a mounting for the automatically operable weatherstrip designed to be quickly attached to a door or to be removed therefrom at random.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device designed to be secured to a door which presents a pivotal or hinged Weatherstrip over the door threshold when the door is closed and which disengages it from the threshold of the door when the door is fully or partially opened, so as not to be in the way.

A final purpose of this invention is to make it possible to install an automatic Weatherstrip without disturbing the door to any appreciable extent.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the respective views,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of my invention showing the Weatherstrip in applied position,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the door in an open position.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of my invention, showing the interior of the Weatherstrip frame,

Figure 4 is a bottom sectional view of a door showing parts of my invention properly applied thereto,

Figure 5 is a fragmental lower front view of a 'door to which my invention is attached.

Referring to the drawing, which is merely illustrative of my invention the various parts of my invention are disclosed.

It will be understood that a conventional door and doorway is intended to be illustrated in the present drawing, of which the threshold is designated ID, the door framework II, and the door itself I2.

The door may be made of a lesser length than usual, if desired, in order to accommodate the fitting which is to be attached to the door and. in which the parts of my invention are housed. I provide preferably a sheet metal case or hollow frame the same being in the form of a rectangular member of a size and shape to engage the front and back as well as the opposing side edge and bottom edge of the door at its lower end.

This case housing my invention has its opposing elongated side walls I3, [4 extending upwardly for engagement with the front and rear sides of the door at the lower end of the latter as shown in Figure 1, and said case also includes the end walls ll, 18, the bottom wall l5, all as shown in Figures 1, 2-and 3. It may be necessary to chamfer the surfaces of the lower part of the door sufficiently to rebate the same as at l6 for the purpose of making the walls of the frame that overlie the front, rear and opposing edges of the door fit flush with the said parts of the case or metal frame. This is a matter of choice.

The front wall M of the housing or case has an elongated horizontal slot formed therein as at 19, shortly above the bottom thereof.

Arranged operatively in this slot is an elongated shaft or hinge pintle 20, upon which is mounted for a swinging action an S-shaped Weatherstrip consisting of the lower curved portion 22 projecting from one side of the pintle and. the upper curved cranks being arranged in a pair, the two cranks being designated 24 and 25 respectively. The curved portion 22 has a longitudinally reduced portion 20a projecting loosely and movably in the slot [9, to the opposing corners of which the cranks 24, 25, are secured. The curved portion 22 has operatively secured longitudinally therein the upper edge of a rubber squeegee or strip 23 which is the part designed to come into immediate engagement with the threshold of the doorway.

The outer ends of the cranks 24, 25 are pivotally connected by the pins M into elongated slots formed in the ends of a pair of arms 26 formed rigidly upon collars 21 secured to upright posts or plungers 28 movably mounted and guided in the upper and lower ears 3 I, 32 of upright frames 39, there being a contractile spring 29 wound around each post or plunger with one end resting upon one ear 32 and with the other end resting upon the ear 3|. Any means of attachment of the frame or support 30 to the case may be employed, as in Figure l where it is seen that a bracket 33 is attached relatively to the under edge of the door by fasteners to the frameiear 3|, or in Figure 2 where the bracket 33 is secured by fasteners 34 to the wall l3 of the case, as the case may be. The walls [3 and I4 of the case may be secured to the door as by means of the fasteners O. The lower ends of the plungers may be rounded as at P. The pins M connect the cranks 24, 25 to the slots 23 of the arms 26. 2| designates the interior space of the case. I provide a pair of fixed cams S and mount them in the threshold l9, at opposing sides of the door, so they are not in the way of persons making egress and ingress out of or into the doorway. These cams have their upper surfaces curved in a wedge shaped manner as at 35. The bottom wall [5 of the case is formed with a pair of oppositely arranged slots or openings 36 thru which may project the rounded ends 36 of the plungers 28. In this manner it will be seen that the way is clear for the plungers, under proper conditions to project below the case.

From the foregoing it will be seen that after the cams S have been secured upon the member [0, in the doorway, all it is necessary to do in order to secure my case in position is to fit the upper parts of the walls thereof against the lower rectangular part of the door, since all parts responsible for the operation and action of my automatic Weatherstrip are enclosed and housed in this case.

In operation the parts are as shown in Figure 2, as long as the door is not inclosed position to completely bar entrance into a room or building.

The springs 29 are at rest, and the plungers 28 are in their lowermost positions so their rounded ends 36 engage the flat or fiush surface of the member ID of the doorway. The S-shaped weatherstrip and especially the lower curved body 22 thereof with its rubber strip or squeegee 23 are raised out of engagement with the member ID, since the door is open and no part of the rubber strip 23 is below the case.

When, now the door is pushed to closed position the rounded ends 36 of the plungers 28 rub against the member l9 or threshold, and as the door gradually closes, and before it closes, the rounded, portions 36 begin to ride upon the wedge surfaces 35 of the cams S, both plungers doing this at the same time, and as this takes place the plungers are raised, the collars 21 thereof pressing against the springs 29 which are wound around the plungers, thereby compressing the springs, and as the collars and posts or plungers move upwardly, so do both of the arms 26, and now the arms raise the cranks 24, 25 and lower the curved portion 22 and the rubber strip 23 will now be caused to engage the threshold I in the closed relationship shown in Figure 1. In this position of the parts it will be impossible for cold, dampness, moisture, dust, and foreign matter or particles in general to enter a room. The same device can be advantageously applied to windows where the case admits. 'I do not confine myself to the exact details herein disclosed save as covered in the claims. 7

What I desire to claim is as follows:-

In combination with a door, a channel-shaped housing having parallel sides projecting below the bottom edge of the door and having a bottom wall spaced beneath the under edge of the door, means securing the parallel sides of the housing to the door, the bottom wall of the housing having an opening, a bracket arranged with horizontally extending lugs in the space between the under edge of the door and the bottom portion of the housing, means securing the bracket upon the door under edge, a plunger guided vertically in the lugs of the bracket and also in said opening, a collar secured substantially midway of the plunger and carrying a forwardly extending downwardly inclined arm, a spring coiled around the plunger resting upon the collar at one end and engaging the upper lug of the bracket at its other end, the lowermost end of the plunger below the opening carryng a ball end, a horizontal elongated slot being formed upon the front wall of the housing, a horizontal shaft mounted on the last named housing wall opposite the slot, an elongated tiltable carrier of S-shape being pivoted centrally upon said shaft, a Weatherstrip mounted at the lower outer edge of the carrier, the rear portion of the carrier forming a crank being pivotally and floatingly connected to the arm whereby as the plunger moves up and down the S-shaped carrier moves the weather strip, the lower portion of the carrier and the weather strip being outside of the housing and project through said slot, said plunger moving upwardly against the tension of the coiled spring, and means below the door fixedly mounted and presenting a downwardly inclined surface upon which the ball end of the plunger rides as the door opens or closes.

WALTER L. HAWK. [LS-1 

